Tips on IELTS | International English Language Testing System

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is a high-class English test that measures the English level of those who wish to study, work, or immigrate to English-speaking countries. Many will take the IELTS test to obtain permanent residence in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

At such times, I am concerned about the necessary scores and how to prepare for the exam. Therefore, in this article, I will explain the outline of the IELTS test, the score required to obtain permanent residence, and the tips for improving the score.

There are two types of IELTS

IELTS has two types of exams: the Academic Module and the General Training Module. Since the content of each exam and the usage scene of the score are different, it is important to carefully check the outline and select the one that suits your purpose. Let's see what the difference is between the two.

Academic module

The Academic Module (Academic) is a test to measure whether students have reached the entrance level of English for students who want to study abroad at an English-speaking university or graduate school. At universities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, this academic score is the standard for admission.

Academic exams consist of four areas: writing, reading, listening and speaking. The total test time is 2 hours and 45 minutes.

This exam features academic conversations and scenes, such as university lectures, academic dissertations, and expert lectures.

General training module

The General Training Module (General) is a test for those who wish to work or move to an English-speaking world to prove their English proficiency when applying for a visa. If you get a certain score on this test and meet other requirements, you will be able to move to Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

As with academics, the general exam content consists of four areas: writing, reading, listening, and speaking. The time required for the exam is the same as academic, totaling 2 hours and 45 minutes.

The content of the exam is different from academic in writing and speaking, and the questions are in general English used in everyday scenes. It is easier to understand than academics and is less difficult overall. However, the correct answer rate required to obtain the score is set high accordingly.

If you want to apply for permanent residence, get a general! What is the required score?

If you want to take IELTS to apply for permanent residence in a foreign country, you need to take the general exam. The criteria for scoring permanent residence vary from country to country. Therefore, from here, we will introduce the required scores for each country.

Australia

When applying for permanent residence in Australia, you must earn at least 60 points on an additive test called the Point Test. IELTS is an essential test in this point test.

IELTS requires a score of 6.0 or higher in all general sections (writing, reading, listening and speaking).

However, the required score will vary depending on the occupation you apply for. Higher levels are required for professionals such as medical professionals, and 7.0 is required. These conditions are subject to change, so check the Australian immigration site for more details.

New Zealand

Permanent residence in New Zealand has categories such as technology immigration, investors, entrepreneurs and families. Select the department you are interested in, apply for a permanent resident visa, and apply for English proficiency. If you are applying for permanent residence in New Zealand, your IELTS score can be either academic or general.

The required score depends on the category selected. For example, the Skilled Immigration category requires a score of 6.5 or higher, and the applicant's partner and child must have a score of 5.0 or higher.

The investor category requires a score of 3.0 or higher, and the entrepreneurial settlement visa requires a score of 4.0 or higher. In both categories, partners listed on the application form and children 16 years and older are required to score 4.0 or higher.

Canada

In Canada, when you apply for permanent residence, your IELTS score will be converted to a standard called "CLB (Canadian Language Benchmarks)". To convert an IELTS score to CLB, first average the four IELTS skills and then round down fractions less than or equal to 0.25.

Whether or not you can obtain permanent residence is determined by the point system. There are items such as educational background, work history, and English proficiency, and if you get a certain number of points, you can get permanent residence. The required level depends on the system and conditions used.

England

Those wishing to move to the UK must take the IELTS test for visa application at a test center accredited by the UK Visa Immigration. IELTS for visa application is called IELTS for UKVI. IELTS for UKVI has three types of tests, "A1", "A2" and "B1", and you can choose one of them to take the test.

With regular IELTS, you will get a score after taking the exam, but with IELTS for UKVI, you will either pass or fail. To obtain permanent residence, you must pass the "B1" exam.

Measures to get the required score in IELTS

If you are going to take IELTS to apply for permanent residence, be sure to take steps to get the score you need. The IELTS exam is divided into four sections: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking, so you need to take appropriate measures in each area. Therefore, from here, I will introduce each section how to study to get the required score.

reading

The IELTS reading exam is 60 minutes long and has 40 questions. A certain amount of reading speed is required because many questions need to be answered correctly within a limited time. If you read extensively in English and touch various sentences, you can understand the contents of the sentences smoothly even in the actual production.

In order to read English quickly, it is essential to understand English as it is. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the conversion from English to English by using an English-English dictionary on a regular basis.

When reading a long sentence, it is also effective to look ahead to the question first. By reading the questions and understanding what is being asked, you can focus on that point when reading a long sentence and find the answer efficiently.

While reading, it is convenient to mark keywords such as person's name, place, and time so that you can read them back later.

listening

The IELTS listening exam consists of four parts, with a total of 40 questions and a 30-minute exam time.

Since listening voices are from various English-speaking countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with various pronunciations and accents.

Even in the listening test, pre-reading the questions is the key to increasing the correct answer rate. Quickly read the questions in a short time before entering each question, understand the contents of the questions, and listen to the listening audio to find the answer.

The IELTS listening test also includes questions that are answered in a descriptive manner. Please note that even one misspelling may be incorrect in the descriptive formula. In particular, it is easy to make a mistake when it comes to nouns, whether they are singular or plural, so be sure to listen carefully at the listening stage.

lighting

As a writing measure, it is a good idea to copy the sample answers of the past official question collection once. By copying the words at the beginning of the paragraph and the composition of each paragraph, you can make new discoveries and acquire the feeling of writing English sentences correctly.

The writing part is divided into Task 1 and Task 2. Task 1 looks at figures and tables to describe and compare features. The point of Task 1 is to write only objective facts without giving your own opinion.

Task 2 is an essay-style question where you give your opinion on a task, including your own knowledge and experience. It is checked whether you are asserting your opinion firmly and whether you are developing the reason consistently. The legitimacy of the opinions you make is not questioned, so choose and write ideas that are easy to explain.

speaking

The IELTS Speaking Test is a one-on-one face-to-face approach with the examiner. It is divided into three parts: questions about daily life (4-5 minutes), speeches (3-4 minutes), and discussions (4-5 minutes).

For speaking measures, it is important to remember phrases that you can use often. For example, the following expressions are useful:

Back when I was ~. (When I was ~)

In my opinion, ~ (in my opinion ~)

I'm convinced that ~. (I'm sure it is ~)

There's no way that ~.

You're absolutely right .

I'm afraid I disagree. (Unfortunately I disagree)

I can see both sides. (I can see both sides)

The IELTS Speaking Exam allows you to ask back if you do not understand the intent of the question or if you do not hear it well. Therefore, remember the following phrases as well.

Sorry, I didn't catch that. (Sorry, I didn't catch that.)

Could you say that, again ?

Could you explain the question, please ?

Tips for improving your score with IELTS

As with any exam, there are some tips to keep in mind when preparing for the exam. In this paragraph, I will introduce three tips to help you improve your score in IELTS.

Solve past problems repeatedly

The first trick is to repeatedly solve the same type of questions that were asked in the past, using a collection of official questions. By solving past questions, you can get used to the IELTS question format and understand trends.

Before the exam, let's take a challenge while measuring the time using the question collection that contains the same question structure and number of questions as the actual exam. So to speak, you are taking an IELTS practice test, which will help you get used to the time allocation.

If you make a mistake, it is important to check the answer and clarify the reason why you made a mistake. Mark the problem you made a mistake and try again after a while. You can overcome your weaknesses by re-solving many times until you can answer everything correctly.

Develop your vocabulary with vocabulary

The second trick is to use your vocabulary to improve your vocabulary. This is because IELTS has written answers not only in writing but also in listening, and it is required to write English words with correct spelling. Even if you can use the correct grammar, if there is a misspelling, the score of that part may become zero.

Of course, even in the reading part, vocabulary is indispensable for correctly understanding the written English sentences. If you master the words well, you will be able to select the most suitable word for the situation and speak smoothly even in the speaking test.

As a concrete measure, use a commercially available IELTS vocabulary book so that you can memorize words as much as possible during your free time. It is important to repeat the word many times even for a short time such as commuting time, break time, and before going to bed at night, because the retention of words will be improved by repeating.

Even if you finish one vocabulary, it is recommended that you repeat the same vocabulary as on the second and third laps. That way, you will be able to remember and re-memorize words that you have forgotten over time.

Output in an English conversation class

The third trick is to output in the English conversation class. Self-study tends to be biased towards input, but if you want to improve your writing and speaking, it is essential to have an opportunity for output.

Especially in the English conversation class, you can greatly improve your speaking ability. The important thing here is to choose one-on-one lessons over group lessons. English speaking skills vary considerably from person to person, and each person has a different purpose in learning English. Choosing one-on-one lessons makes it easier for you to take lessons as an IELTS measure, and you can also get advice tailored to your weaknesses.

For rare jobs in online English conversation, you can take one-on-one lessons every day with no admission fee or teaching materials. Both foreign and Japanese teachers are enrolled, and lessons can be tailored to your learning objectives.

There are other tests besides IELTS that can be used to apply for permanent residence!

IELTS is not the only test you can use to apply for permanent residence. Finally, I would like to introduce two types of tests that can be used when applying for permanent residence, CELPIP and PTE.

CELPIP

CELPIP is a test that you can use to prove your English proficiency when applying for immigration in Canada. The listening voice is characterized by the use of English pronounced in North America, which will be easy to hear for those who are already living in Canada.

CELPIP, like IELTS, consists of four sections: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. All sections are fully computer-based tested.

The content of the exam focuses on familiar topics such as general life and business, and topics related to Canada are often asked. The test time is 47 to 55 minutes for listening, 55 to 60 minutes for reading, 53 minutes for writing, and 15 to 20 minutes for speaking.

CELPIP is a test with a short history, and the management of information and teaching materials is strict, so countermeasure teaching materials are rarely available on the market. If you want to solve the exercises, it is best to purchase the materials from the official website.

PTE

PTE is an acronym for Pearson Test of English Academic. Developed by a British education services company, it is widely accepted as an English proficiency test. In Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada, you can use your PTE as proof when applying for permanent residence.

All PTE exams are computer-based and can be taken the day after you sign up. The time it takes to get results is as short as 1 to 5 business days, and it is a feature that you can take the test speedily.

The PTE exam consists of three sections: Speaking and Writing 77-93 minutes, Reading 32-41 minutes, and Listening 45-57 minutes. The main difference from IELTS is listening, and PTE has problems and dictations to summarize. There are fixed templates for speaking and writing, so if you take proper measures, it will be easier to increase your score.